Everything about Des Corcoran totally explained
James Desmond "Des" Corcoran AO (
8 November 1928 –
3 January 2004) was an
Australian politician. He was the 37th
Premier of South Australia, serving between
15 February 1979 and
18 September 1979.
Born in
Millicent,
South Australia, Corcoran joined the
Australian Labor Party (ALP) in
1941. He enlisted in the
Australian Army and fought in the
Korean War (where he was
mentioned in dispatches), as well as serving in
Japan,
Malaya and
New Guinea. Corcoran left the Army in
1961 and in
1962 was elected to the
South Australian House of Assembly Electoral district of Millicent, the seat previously held by his father,
Jim Corcoran.
Corcoran quickly impressed many within the Labor Party with his talent for administration and when the Labor Party won government in South Australia in 1965 for the first time in 32 years, new Premier
Frank Walsh attempted to groom Corcoran as his successor as a foil to Deputy Leader
Don Dunstan, whom Walsh personally disliked. Following Walsh's retirement in 1967, Corcoran challenged Dunstan for the Premiership but lost by three votes and instead became Deputy Premier.
Labor lost the 1968 election but Corcoran held the seat of Millicent by one vote over his
LCL rival
Martin Cameron. Cameron protested and a by-election was held, with Corcoran winning more comfortably, leaving the new
Steele Hall LCL government to rely on the casting vote of Independent Speaker
Tom Stott. Following the election, Corcoran became Deputy Opposition Leader under
Don Dunstan and upon Labor's victory at the
1970 election, he returned to the Deputy Premiership and assumed the Marine and Harbours and Public Works portfolios.
Dunstan and Corcoran made an odd but effective team. While Corcoran, a devout
Catholic, privately opposed many of the social reforms Dunstan was implementing, such as liberalising
abortion and
homosexuality laws, as well as personally disliking Dunstan's lifestyle and his fondness for the arts, theatre and relaxed dress fashions, they managed to maintain a working relationship. Dunstan used Corcoran's plain speaking to deal with any rogue party elements while Dunstan remained the public face of the Labor government.
After eleven years as Deputy Premier, Corcoran became Premier on
February 15,
1979 after Dunstan's shock resignation due to ill health and assumed the positions of Treasurer and Minister for Ethnic Affairs. Spurred by positive opinion polls and seeking to escape the shadow of Dunstan, Corcoran called a snap election (without pre-informing the party apparatus) in order to gain a mandate of his own. The election campaign was plagued by problems and the Labor Party suffered an 11% swing against it. Corcoran was bitter in defeat, believing sections of the ALP had undermined him during the campaign.
Corcoran retired from politics in
1982 and died from
cancer at age 75 in
2004. He was survived by his wife, Carmel, their eight children and twelve grandchildren.
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